This is a state of the art video on how light a plane can be. The film covering the wings is made on site - is only microns thick - see how slow they move the planes to the take off point and they are flexing - take off is just a let go...
Together with no radio and only rubber power it is amazing to see how long they stay up and how far this has part of the sport has developed...
Many years ago one of these planes was featured in the Aeromodeller magazine with a plan and details of how to make the micro film. The plane structure looked very easy so I made one with thin balsa strips. The micro film was made by pouring thinned clear dope on water. However when I added the micro film to the plane it warped badly so I gave the project up. However Broken Wing if you want the plan and construction details I can scan and send them to you FOC so you can wow the BPMFC indoor flyers with the 'Bruce Featherlite'!
ReplyDeleteUpdate,
ReplyDeleteThe Aeromodeller feature on the micro plane was in April 1961--the same date when the Super 60 was advertised!
There are alternative mixes for the micro film covering but the cheapest consists of clear dope and thinner as mentioned before plus caster oil.(dope 1oz/thinner 1oz/caster Oil 1/2 ounce) The mixture is poured into a wire frame held on top of a bowl of water and the micro film results.
The plane / plan featured is the 35 CM Class indoor model by Leif Englund (Leave England?)who won the 1960 New Years day indoor contest held in Helsinki Finland with a best flight time of 14:26
WoW.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the info and its very interesting indeed. Jan asked does this type of plane crash any easier than the others she has...